Reviewed by Brad Fallen

Eduard's 1/32 scale Heinkel He 219 Wheels are available online from Squadron.com

Eduard’s range of Brassin accessories has grown quickly since the label was launched three years ago, with almost 90 sets now available in 1/48 scale alone.  One third of these are guns, bombs and missiles – items that can be replicated more finely in resin than plastic, and because of their small size in 1/48, offered to modelers at a reasonable price.

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Falling neatly into this category are the following four World War II-era gun sets. 

• MG-17 German WWII guns.  This set contains two one-piece MG 17 7.92mm machine guns, as used on Bf 109s, Bf 110s, Fw 190s and a wide range of other German aircraft.

• Browning M-2 guns (6 pieces).  These .50 AN/M2 Browning machine guns come as two-part assemblies, with the firing solenoids provided separately.  This will allow you to accurately reflect the gun configuration of the specific aircraft you are modeling.  Eduard recommends these guns should be used on models of US aircraft with fully opened gun bays – ie mounted in fixed rather than flexible positions, although I am sure they could be adapted.

• Browning M-2 guns (2 pieces).  This set is identical to the previous, except that it only contains two guns.

• MK 108 guns.  Again, these MK 108 cannon come in two parts, with the ammunition bolt deck provided as a separate item.  Eduard specifically recommends this set for its 1/48 Fw 190 A-8/R2 kit, but notes that it could also be used on a large number of other Luftwaffe aircraft models.

While I’m not an expert on aircraft weapons, each of these castings compares favorably to photos of the real thing.  And production quality is good, with no obvious pinholes or other moulding flaws.  The only criticism I can level is that some of the barrels are warped – a common problem with resin guns, but also a reasonably easy fix.  (If the issue really worries you, you could replace the resin barrels with turned brass items and end up with stunning but expensive replicas.)

Preparation for painting should be straightforward.  The MG 17s and M2s are attached to small casting blocks at the back of the gun that should be very easy to remove and clean up.  The MK 108s have a more substantial casting block, but this is a relative term and the block should not cause problems for anyone with a razor saw and some patience.

These sets are a perfect way to add impressive but low-fuss detail to models – highly recommended.

Thanks to Eduard for the samples.

Review Text Copyright © 2013 by Brad Fallen
Page Created 22 November, 2013
Last updated 22 November, 2013

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